Blue Nile

June 3 (Reuters) - Shares of online jewelry retailer Blue Nile Inc could rise as much as 25 percent this year if diamond price inflation slows, according to a report in Barron's weekly financial newspaper. A jump last year in the price of demands eroded the company's cost advantage over brick-and-mortar rivals, harming profit, the report said. The company's shares are down about 37 percent in the last 12 months. Prices for diamonds should not rise as much...

* Sudanese children last crippled by polio in 2008/2009 * UN says would take four days to vaccinate 165,000 children * Polio in Syria a Pakistan strain, spreading in Middle East By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS, Nov 11 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Monday it had failed to vaccinate 165,000 children against polio in two Sudanese states after the government and rebels - who had both agreed to the immunization campaign - disagreed over...

First impressions: It's easy to pass up Blue Nile, an unassuming little storefront located in a strip mall. In fact a dining mate did just that three times before he found us. But once inside the restaurant, the simple tables, bright yellow walls and cartoonlike folk art welcome guests. At the end of the room, a TV plays Ethiopian satellite channels. Local Ethiopians flock to the 1-year-old place, and it was even visited by Ziggy Marley, who, according to the menu, ordered the veggie combo and the...

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt does not want war with Ethiopia but will keep "all options open", President Mohamed Mursi said on Monday, turning up the heat in a dispute over a giant dam Addis Ababa is building across the Nile. In a televised speech to cheering Islamist supporters, Mursi voiced understanding for the development needs of poorer nations upstream in the Nile basin, but rammed home in emotive language that Egyptians will not accept any reduction in the flow of the river on...

The Blue Nile doesn`t record very often; it has released only two exquisite albums in its seven-year history, "A Walk Across the Rooftops" and the recent "Hats" (A&M). And the group performs live even less frequently. The Glasgow trio will play in Chicago for the first time on Saturday at Park West. The band's floating, gently soulful sound bears the imprint of influences as diverse as Marvin Gaye and Mahler. Although this hardly promises to be a typically raucous rock show, the...

CAIRO (Reuters) - Egypt will demand Ethiopia stop building a dam on one of the main tributaries of the Nile, a senior government aide said on Wednesday, ramping up a confrontation over the project that Egypt fears will affect its main source of water. Ethiopia set off alarm bells in Cairo last week when it began diverting a stretch of the river to make way for the $4.7 billion hydroelectric plant. Countries that share the river have argued over the use of its waters for...

While the airwaves ring with the clangorous sounds of dance-pop, rap and heavy metal, a Scottish trio named the Blue Nile is steadily building a loyal following with its calming songs and lush synthesizer-driven arrangements. The band's new A&M Records album, "Hats," sounds unlike anything on contemporary radio, yet the album has been greeted with unbridled critical enthusiasm. A special promotional CD of the album featured raves and endorsements from Phil Collins and...

KHARTOUM (Reuters) - Sudan has seized back a town from rebels who took it a month ago, the government said on Monday as it continued a push against insurgents it says are backed by South Sudan. The Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF), an umbrella of rebel groups that launched an assault on several towns late in April, confirmed it had withdrawn from the town, Abu Kershola, saying it had done so to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered. In April, the rebels, who aim to...

With budgets to be managed and bedding to be changed, we got a tip to check out WalMart at www.walmart.com. We did and found ourselves afloat on the luxurious Blue Nile. Blue Nile linens are made of 100 percent Egyptian cotton -- known for its softness and durability. Blue Nile bedsheet sets and duvet covers are $39.88 to $59.88. The prices are a plus. The online-only availability can be a drawback for those who like to touch -- especially when bedding is involved. But the...

CAIRO, Feb 19 (Reuters) - Fighting broke out in a Sudanese border state between the military and rebels trying to overthrow President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, both sides said on Monday, and the government said its forces had killed scores of insurgents. The rebels gave a different account, saying the government forces had attacked civilian areas. The conflict in Blue Nile started in September 2011, a few months after neighbouring South Sudan seceded under a...

By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The United States, Canada and the European Union urged Sudan on Wednesday to stop clamping down on newspapers and protesters and allow a U.N. investigator to look into allegations of brutality against civilians in restive areas. Mashood Baderin, an independent human rights expert, told the U.N. Human Rights Council that when he made his first mission to Sudan in June he was not allowed to leave...

The government on Monday warned of a military campaign after the army said Ethiopian forces had attacked two border towns. State radio and TV broadcast patriotic and military songs and poetry, along with messages supporting the government and attacking what they called the Ethiopian aggression. The radio said a brigade of the paramilitary People's Defense Forces would leave Khartoum for Kurmuk and Qeissan, about 360 miles away. Sudanese rebels who oppose the...

June 3 (Reuters) - Shares of online jewelry retailer Blue Nile Inc could rise as much as 25 percent this year if diamond price inflation slows, according to a report in Barron's weekly financial newspaper. A jump last year in the price of demands eroded the company's cost advantage over brick-and-mortar rivals, harming profit, the report said. The company's shares are down about 37 percent in the last 12 months. Prices for diamonds should not rise as much...

By Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA, Sept 26 (Reuters) - The United States, Canada and the European Union urged Sudan on Wednesday to stop clamping down on newspapers and protesters and allow a U.N. investigator to look into allegations of brutality against civilians in restive areas. Mashood Baderin, an independent human rights expert, told the U.N. Human Rights Council that when he made his first mission to Sudan in June he was not allowed to leave...

Misery loves company. And if you've been bemoaning your stock picks, you will find company among some of Chicago's leading fund managers. The second quarter was miserable for most investors unless they ignored investing precepts about diversification and made heavy bets on the one game in town -- energy and commodities. The Tribune's panel of local stock pickers was no exception. John Rogers, founder of Ariel Capital Management, and David Herro, manager of Oakmark International,...

* Sudanese children last crippled by polio in 2008/2009 * UN says would take four days to vaccinate 165,000 children * Polio in Syria a Pakistan strain, spreading in Middle East By Michelle Nichols UNITED NATIONS, Nov 11 (Reuters) - The United Nations said on Monday it had failed to vaccinate 165,000 children against polio in two Sudanese states after the government and rebels - who had both agreed to the immunization campaign - disagreed over...

$0.38 9% 3Com Corp. stock advanced to $4.59 a day after Chicago-based hedge fund Citadel Investment Group LLC boosted its stake in the networking equipment-maker to 8.4 percent from less than 1 percent. -$1.72 12.3% Shares of John B. Sanfilippo & Son Inc. sank to $12.27. The Elk Grove Village-based firm reported a third-quarter loss and said it was in violation of covenants governing its debt. $3.80 13.6% Shares of Warnaco Group Inc. increased to $31.79.